Hulu on iPhone?
I'll believe it when I see it. I remember being told that Flash support for the iPhone would be available in a few months. That was in July 2007. It's still not available. But Dan Frommer at the Business Insider reports that a Hulu app for the iPhone (and iPod Touches) is on its way:
Hulu is in the process of developing an app for Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and iPod touch, we have learned from a plugged-in industry executive. The app is coming soon (within a few months) and is "badass" -- as excellent as Hulu's Web site. Video will work over both wi-fi and 3G, we're told.
[...]
Why would Apple and AT&T approve this app, which will use up a lot of bandwidth and compete with Apple's iTunes video store? Because it will help sell iPhones, iPod touches, and AT&T subscriptions. And that's the whole point of the App Store. (And if we were Hulu, we'd offer Apple and/or AT&T an ad revenue-sharing deal, too.)
I love watching shows on the iPhone, but the process of downloading them from iTunes or converting them off my DVR and formatting them for the iPhone and then loading them -- mostly, it just winds up being more of a barrier than I can deal with. The Hulu app for the iPhone will likely be better than the Flash support that would just allow you to do it via the iPhone's Safari browser. Instead, I'm sure it will work like the YouTube application -- be super easy to browse and select videos and, format it well for the phone. I hope this "coming soon" winds up working out better than it did with Flash support.
If they could have this ready before I have to drive cross country in June, I would probably actually be willing to PAY for the app.
You don’t mean that you’ll be using it as you drive…right?
Of course not….
Dang it! Where is the love for Google G1 users? Looks like Apple will get it first after all…
for some reason my link to the source article didn’t work when I posted it — the link is there now.
Wow great, first Skype and now Hulu.
Most excellent news. I don’t really want to go to Julia’s funeral, so I’m going to be fine if it doesn’t come out before her trip.
Yes, but wouldn’t you feel guilty if I crashed while on AIM on my iPhone where I actually have to pay more attention than to a TV show?
Robert, sending a TV show from iTunes to the iPhone is easy! Especially if you have certain shows already selected, then every time you hook up the phone it’ll sync them.
Frank, I can beam wirelessly to my laptop any shows on my DVR. I’d love to be able to do the same with the iPhone but I can’t due to lack of Flash support.
The synching isn’t the issue for me, it’s the time converting shows on my DVR into MP4 format or downloading episodes off of iTunes which even on broadband takes some time, though not nearly as much time as converting stuff off the DVR into an iPhone acceptable format.
Will the 3.0 update for the iPhone have Flash support?
I haven’t seen anything on that, Frank, but I’m too excited about c&p so I may have just missed it.
Put me in the ‘belive it when I see it’ camp as well. This doesn’t make a lot of sense, given the recent story of the Slingplayer iPhone app being rejected because of streaming over 3g. Compare the number of people that would actually be connecting to a Sling box to the number that would be watching on Hulu. Unless the Hulu app application comes with a fat stack of cash, I don’t see how this would be anything but wi-fi only.
I can’t wait for this to coMe out!!! I watch shows on hulu all the time! I do t have dvr, nor the time to watch tv during the day, so I watch all m shows at night. Now I won’t have to boot up my laptop just to watch Bones!!! I this is this is a great idea! P.S. Sorry if some words are Missplelled; I’m on my itouch…